Last year, more women received doctoral degrees than men and there were more women enrolled in college than men. Today, women-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment of the United States economy.

Local examples of the social and economic strides being made by women were celebrated at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s 31st Annual Tribute to Women Leadership Awards Luncheon at the Westin Convention Center Hotel on May 30.

The annual luncheon honors strong, self-sufficient women whose efforts and achievements have improved the lives of women and children throughout the region. However, while the women have demonstrated success in fields ranging from healthcare to education, along with others throughout the country, many women still lag behind men when it comes to workplace disparities.

“With all of the success we can identify in all of these fields, there’s one area where we haven’t been doing well in Allegheny County and western Pennsylvania and that’s equal pay,” said YWCA CEO Magdeline Jensen.The gender pay gap between men and women is estimated to equal a ratio of .77, meaning women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. According to a 2011 report, it could take 150 years to reduce this pay disparity.